Transitioning from a hybrid to a road bike - what to expect?

[Artista]

I just transitioned from an old, steel, hybrid to a steel road bike. The smoothness of the ride on the road bike is similar to the hybrid, except that I feel the bigger bumps with the skinny tires more than I did on the hybrid.

I've read a lot of complaints on this forum about the harshness & road chatter on an aluminum bike. Have you considered looking for a used steel or carbon road bike? Your $1,500 would probably buy a nicer ride if you go used.

[blackhillsbiker]

My Felt road bike has a much smoother ride than my aluminum Kona hybrid. So much so that it seemed really strange at first. It is aluminum with carbon seat stays, fork, etc. I got to ride it on the few nice days we had last month, and it was hard to go back to the commuter when the weather changed!

Deb

[Kiwi Stoker]

My main problem was using the shifters and brakes. In fact I still cannot use them, I have the extra brake levers installed on the top of the bar. Just cannot get used to not being able to get 3 fingers around the brake lever. Also the narrower handlebars make the front wheel seem twitchy- which it wasn't, just coming off a wide flat handlebar plus bar ends.

However I gained 6 km/hr switching to a road bike- could keep up with my friends, and realised it wasn't me.... it was the weight of the bike.

[Roadtrip]

My main problem was using the shifters and brakes. In fact I still cannot use them, I have the extra brake levers installed on the top of the bar. Just cannot get used to not being able to get 3 fingers around the brake lever. Also the narrower handlebars make the front wheel seem twitchy- which it wasn't, just coming off a wide flat handlebar plus bar ends.

However I gained 6 km/hr switching to a road bike- could keep up with my friends, and realised it wasn't me.... it was the weight of the bike.

Have you been fitted for this bike?

It sounds like your either not flexible enough to get the proper extension/reach needed to shift properly (work on core strength), your bikes length may just be too long for you (need seat moved forward/stem adjustments-- etc), or you may need smaller shifters for smaller hands if you don't already have them.

You say the bike is more twitchy, but unsure if you're comparing this to a hybrid, or you had narrower bars installed on your road bike when you had the breaks modified, and that's the comparison.

I did notice my road bike was much more twitchy/responsive compared to my road bike and just something that I'm adjusting to. I'm new to road bikes as well and just bought my first roadie about three weeks ago. On my first ride my foot slipped on the pedal and just a slight shift in weight sent me across the road, about five feet off my line, and I nearly crashed. It was really scary, but I recovered, so I have a new appreciation for the bike and my ability to handle the bike.

One more thought. You said you had break levers installed on the flat portion of the road bars, so I'm wondering if your hand position may also be affecting how twitchy the bike is... the closer to the stem your holding your hands the more small movements/adjustments are going to affect the bike.

Being up on the hoods instead of down in the flat part of the bar will mean better control over the bike. I've also read that, while I'm not comfortable enough to ride down in the drops, it's the most stable place to steer from while descending a hill.

Good luck!!!
Shannon

[Kiwi Stoker]

Yes I had two professional fits on this bike. Turns out I have very short fingers and shimming, moving the shifters etc hasn't helped. I think changing to SRAM or Campy shifters would but cannot afford to do that at the moment, so just put up with it.

The front wheel thing now is fine. Just the inital 1 month on the new bike felt strange. The flat handlebars on my hybrid were very wide, so it took a bit getting used to the correct sized handlebars.